Lords and Ladies
by Thiaf
Summary: AU. Napoleon has been defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, but the victory is bittersweet when Luise learns that her brother died in the battle. She is now the Duchess of Beilschmidt and must marry to secure her lands, even if she desires otherwise. Her plot to marry a controllable and complaint Feliciano takes her to unexpected and new experiences when Feliciano's past is revealed.


Disclaimer: Hetalia is (c) of Himaruya Hidekaz.

This was originally a story that I had written on the Hetalia kink meme. The link to the first draft can be found on my profile.

The story begins in the summer of 1815, after the Battle of Waterloo.

* * *

**Lords and Ladies**

**Chapter One, Part One**

Roderich placed the letter confirming Gilbert's death on the desk. Blücher himself had written the letter to their family. Roderich's fingers rested on the paper. He wanted to read the letter again and ward away the disbelief, but he had other matters to address.

Roderich looked up at Luise. She sat still, dressed in mourning. She waited for him to have the first word.

"Duchess Beilschmidt," he said. "You are the last in the direct line of your family. I recommend that you find a husband and have heirs as soon as possible. Otherwise, I am your heir, but I am unlikely to outlive you."

"That is why I have come to Vienna," Luise was a good lady for the moment. Roderich pushed the matter further.

"It is not my responsibility to arrange your marriage. It would have been your late lord's but it seems you must make arrangements," Roderich stood up and turned to his window. He could see Luise's reflection in the glass. "My recommendations would be Ivan Braginsky, Francis de Bonnefoy and Berwald Oxenstierna from within my court. They all come from respected houses and, with the exception of Bonnefoy at the moment, are wealthy."

"I will see them when I attend court tonight," Luise stood up. "Do I have your leave, my lord?"

"You may go."

Luise's steps were silent. After the study's door was shut, Roderich stared back at the letter. Just when Roderich thought Europe would reenter its old order, his cousin died. Yet Luise's eyes were not red from tears nor were there rings under her eyes.

How long could she pretend to be like this?

* * *

Luise's sweaty palms touched the cold wall.

"Now, Lili," Luise said.

Lili, behind Luise, pulled the stays' strings. The stays hugged around Luise, tightening and pressing against her skin and pushing her breasts together. Luise held her breath as the stays was adjusted to its narrowest fit.

"That is it, my lady."

"It will be tightened further," Luise exhaled again.

Lili tugged the stays' strings for the final time, with enough force for Luise to readjust her footing. Lili apologized, but Luise saw no reason for it. Lili knotted the strings together and then put Luise's evening dress on her.

"Should I retrieve the cosmetic boxes?"

Luise nodded. When Lili left the _toilette_ room, Luise tugged the front of her stays away from her chest. The stays was too confining. Worst of all, the stays shaped her breasts, as if she was the subject for a sculptor. Luise pressed her hands against her skirt and looked at the mirror. It felt strange for her to have her black clothes replaced so soon by the latest fittings of fashion. Luise still had much more to do for her mourning period. She had to be the dutiful lady and satisfy Roderich for now, but she had no intentions to be shepherded by a husband.

Lili returned to the room with two cosmetic boxes. After she placed the boxes on the dressing table, Lili dusted the top of the containers and opened them; they had been so rarely used before.

Luise touched the black rings under her eyes. She had hid her imperfections well. She was embarrassed enough by dabbing such things on her face, but she had to appear normal. Gilbert would have teased her for her precautions.

Lili spread the powder under Luise's eyes. When they finished, Lili returned the boxes to their hiding place. Luise trusted her maid to have the makeup unmentioned.

"Luise!" Elizaveta was knocking at the _toilette_'s door.

Lili answered the door. Elizaveta took one step into the room.

"You look so comely tonight," she curtsied. "Are you ready to go?"

Luise frowned. Elizaveta was too flattering. Perhaps Luise was pretty, but she paled in comparison to Elizaveta's dark hair and fair skin. She seemed unfazed about Gilbert's death.

"Yes, I am," Luise tried to take a deep breath. The stays stopped her from inhaling fully.

Elizaveta smiled and led Luise to the ballroom. Luise could hear the piano as they traveled further down the hall. She recognized the song as one of Roderich's pieces.

"I hope you are not nervous about courtship," Elizaveta said. "I know it has been years since you last attended court."

"I am fine, my lady," Luise was going for show. Luise only pretended to have an interest in finding a husband that would take away her lands. Her brother had raised her with the expectation that she would rule in her own right. She knew her people even better than Gilbert had. She would not have her inheritance taken away. Luise would keep her true desires private though.

"Here," Elizaveta took Luise's hand and led her to the entrance of the ballroom.

They stood at the top of a flight of stairs.

"Introducing Countess Elizaveta von Edelstein and Duchess Luise von Beilschmidt."

The court applauded them. The men and women were dressed finely; there was no sign of mourning in Roderich's home. Which lord amongst them was the most ambitious? Which ones had Roderich's favour? The women descended down the stairs.

"Roderich instructed me to introduce you to some bachelors," Elizaveta whispered. "I will try to be as informative as possible."

Elizaveta was aware of Luise's true desires in a husband. Luise knew she had Elizaveta's support.

"Do you see the tall one?" Elizaveta pointed to him. "He is Ivan Braginsky."

Luise saw Ivan, the giant, among his cohort.

"He is a baron who played a part in defeating Napoleon in Russia."

Luise only noticed Ivan's scarf. Why would anyone wear such a garment in the summer? She also noted he was dressed in a military outfit, as if he was always prepared to fight.

"In conversations, he has spoken…eccentrically," Elizaveta was being generous again.

Luise shook her head. Luise would have preferred a man far below her station and education so that he could not threaten her, but what was the likelihood that Roderich invited those bachelors?

"Well, can you introduce us?" Luise would attempt to make an effort in appearing interested.

Elizaveta led the way.

"Lord Ivan, I believe that you have never met my cousin Luise."

Luise tilted her head up to look up at the Russian. He smiled and stared down at her. She found his gestures empty in manner.

"I am very happy to meet you," he bowed.

"As am I," she curtsied.

They stood there in silence. Luise had been away from court far too long to know how to speak now. She was too busy analyzing him to make conversation. Luise disliked his big nose too.

"Um, my lord," Elizaveta said. "I believe Lady Luise is unfamiliar with your companions."

"Oh yes, these are my sisters, Katerina and Natalia," he pointed to each of them. "And those three are my obedient serfs. Their names are immaterial."

The shortest serf quivered as Ivan pointed to him. Luise was curious to know why he feared his lord so much. A lord should never have subjects who cowered under them. Luise had another reason to dislike Ivan.

"You will have to excuse us, my lord," Elizaveta gestured to Luise. "My cousin has been overwhelmed by a series of misfortune since the Battle of Waterloo. She has to be introduced to so many others tonight too."

"Of course," Ivan bowed. He was too precise, too practiced.

Elizaveta wrapped a hand around Luise's arm to lead her away. Roderich must have been joking when he suggested Ivan as a possible husband.

"Is he stable?"

"Luise, please," Elizaveta whispered. "My husband choose Ivan because of his title and military reputation."

"And what of the other two that our lord mentioned?"

Elizaveta opened her mouth but hesitated. Luise was sure that Elizaveta knew things from court gossip.

"Berwald...I cannot pronounce that surname...is a distant cousin of the Swedish king. Francis is heir to the old and respected lands of Bonnefoy."

Luise did not care about courteous descriptions. Connections to Swedish royalty meant little now since the king was feeble and the crown prince was an elected Frenchman. Berwald's family, no doubt, was trying to grasp onto some kind of security before the king died. Roderich had also told her about the Bonnefoys' financial troubles. Luise knew there was more to both of them.

"But?"

"…they say Berwald fancies men over women. Francis has also fathered at least two bastards from North America."

Roderich mocked her if he thought a sodomite or a debauched man was good enough for her. Their bloodlines and titles were a decent match for her duchy, but the men themselves would cause her misery. If she did marry any of them, they would take her inheritance away from her and legally claim it as their own property, with herself included.

* * *

Arthur sharpened his knife again. The scraping of steel and stone were not enough to muffle Alfred's sobbing. Arthur looked at Alfred. He was curled up in the corner, naked and crying.

Arthur rolled his eyes at Alfred's melodramatics. Arthur returned his attention to Matthew, who sat on the bed and had his bare back facing Arthur. Arthur started to cut Matthew's hair. He placed the excess hair on a cloth beside him. The haircut was finished in only a few minutes, yet Alfred was still weeping.

As Arthur brushed strands of hair off Matthew's back, Arthur knew that this moment was his most successful event in weeks; at least these bastards looked less like Francis.

"Al, you are six, not a pissing baby."

Alfred sniffed and sat up. He wiped his tears away.

"I hate you!"

"Put your clothes on," Arthur started to dress Matthew. Arthur was not in the mood to yell back at Alfred this early in the day.

"NO!" Alfred stamped his feet on the floor. Arthur would not tolerate Alfred being an ungrateful little whelp in Edelstein's home. Arthur stood up and walked over to Alfred. Alfred knew he was going to get slapped, so he ran around the room. He pushed down chairs to slow down Arthur, but he stepped over the furniture and stopped chasing Alfred when he knocked the third chair down.

"Al, fuck off already!"

Alfred stood there, with his arms open and ready to fight back, but his eyes turned to the door.

Arthur picked up Alfred's clothes from the floor and threw it at him.

"Get lost, you bastard."

A moment of silence passed. Arthur was proud that he could at least shut Alfred up for that long. Alfred gathered up his clothes. He looked up at Arthur defiantly for a moment, but then he turned around and dashed out of the room.

* * *

**NOTES**

**(1) The Battle of Waterloo**: Basically, after Napoleon was defeated, he was sent to Elba, an island off the coast of Italy.

But Napoleon returned to Europe with French supporters. The English (led by the Duke of Wellington) and Prussian soldiers defeated him, though the English did most of the fighting because the Prussians had been ambushed earlier. It took place near the village of Waterloo, in modern day Belgium. It occurred on June 18, 1815.

**(2) Prince Gebhard Blücher**: A Prussian general, famous for leading Prussian forces at the Battle of Waterloo.

**(3) _Toilette_**: A French word. Essentially, the dressing room where you got prepared for outings and social events.

**(4) Stays:** Similar to the corset, stays were popular in this time period. Stays covered just below the breasts, since the shape of breasts were more important than shrinking the waist. It's inconvenient for Luise either way.

**(5) On Makeup and Beauty: **Using makeup around this time was frowned upon; there was an emphasis on natural complexions. However, a lot of women did so regardless and were subtle about using it. I have found contradictory information about the beauty ideal is at this time. One source says brunettes were preferred, another says blonde, but paleness was definitely desirable.

**(6) Swedish Succession**: The current king is old, feeble and childless. He died in 1818. A Frenchman, Jean Bernadotte, was elected to succeed him. In this story, Berwald is a distant cousin of the king through his mother's side.

**(7)** Alfred and Matthew were naked because of the convenience of not having hair stick to their clothing.


End file.
